Develop Your Research Elevator Pitch

A research elevator pitch is a brief speech that summarizes your research project in a clear and engaging way. It's designed to quickly convey the essence of your research, including its goals, methods, and potential impact. The term "elevator pitch" comes from the idea that you should be able to deliver this pitch in the time it takes for an elevator ride, typically around 30 seconds to 2 minutes.

A well-crafted elevator pitch demonstrates your research expertise and your communication skills. Other benefits of a research elevator pitch include:

1. Clarity: A concise pitch helps the researcher clearly articulate their research goals, methods, and findings, making complex ideas easier to understand.
2. Collaboration: A pitch can attract potential collaborators both within academia and beyond academia, such as industry professionals, policymakers, and community organizations.
3. Networking and Career Building: A strong elevator pitch is essential for making a memorable impression at conferences, particularly during networking sessions or poster presentations, and you can also use it when applying for fellowships and jobs.
4. Funding: A well-crafted pitch can highlight the significance and impact of your research, making it easier to persuade funders to support the work.

Graphic adapted from Structure Diagram by MIT EECS Communication Lab, licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0

Tailoring ensures that your pitch is relevant to the audience’s interests and needs, making it more likely to resonate and be remembered. A tailored pitch is also more likely to achieve its intended goals, whether that’s securing funding, forming collaborations, or raising awareness.

• Understand the Audience: Identify who you are speaking to—whether they are fellow researchers, potential funders, industry professionals, policymakers, or the general public. Consider their background, interests, and level of familiarity with your research topic.
• Adjust the Language: Use terminology and language that resonates with the audience. For academic peers, technical jargon might be appropriate, while for a general audience, plain language and analogies are better. Visit the next page on this guide, "Plain Language vs Specialized Language," for help.
• Highlight Relevant Benefits: Emphasize aspects of your research that are most relevant to the audience. For funders, focus on the potential impact and return on investment; for collaborators, highlight opportunities for partnership and shared goals.